The Lostpedia Interview:Keir O'Donnell
:User:Sam McPherson is responsible for this interview. ---- Keir O'Donnell is an actor who has guest starred on Lost once in season one. Though the part itself was minor, the role he played, of Claire's boyfriend Thomas, has had huge echoes, considering he is the father of Aaron. The interview was conducted over email on August 5, 2008. ---- Lostpedia: How did you first come to work on Lost? Are there any interesting stories from the casting process? When I auditioned and got the role, they still weren't releasing the entire script so I had no idea where the episode was heading. It wasn't until I arrived in Hawaii that I received the whole thing. Josh Holloway (Sawyer......well, I guess you probably know that!) was my brother's neighbor for a couple of years, so we used to play basketball and have BBQ's together. I was at my brother's place the day that Josh came home to say he booked LOST. We were all excited, but had no idea of the huge impact that it was about to have. So when I auditioned I was aware of the show, only because of Josh. Also, I was born in Sydney, Australia and grew up there till I was 10, so the accent was fun for me to put back on. Lostpedia: Do you watch the show? If so, are you a casual fan or a more serious viewer? Do you have a favorite character or episode? I hate to admit it, but in total, I've only seen a couple of episodes in the first season. My friends are all die hard LOST fans so they keep me up to date on what's happening with the show. Only being biased, I'd have to say my favorite character is Aaron! Lostpedia: What was it like working with the Lost cast and crew? I lucked out by getting to go to Hawaii. I figured because my only scenes were flashbacks set in Australia that they would probably shoot in Los Angeles, but the whole cast and crew were over in Hawaii, so it worked out pretty nicely for me. My episode ("Raised by Another") was still pretty early on in the show and they were juggling doing a couple episodes at the same time. The crew were great and worked very quickly. Lostpedia: Lost had not fully caught on by the time you came to work on it. What were your thoughts about it? Did you think it would become as big of a hit as it has? That's true. When I got the part they had just finished editing the first episode so they sent it over for me to watch. As soon as I saw it I knew it was really special and that people would respond. That pilot episode actually aired while I was in Hawaii and was a huge hit almost overnight. I was just glad to be a part of something that people appreciated but had no idea of the eventual success and ultimately the pivotal relevance of my character. The writing is so clever and the actors, directors, and crew have obviously found a key for compelling fans around the world. Lostpedia: Some of Thomas's paintings have been seen in the show since your appearance. What do you think this means? Are you going to appear in the show again sometime in the future? I've been told! Truthfully, I have no idea of the significance. All that I do know is that the art department did a great job with my paintings! I would love to return to the show. My friends have compiled theories upon theories as to why and how "Thomas" could appear again. Lostpedia: For such a small role, your character has had a big impact on the story (the father of Aaron, the reason Claire was on the island). How does it feel to be such a lasting part of the show's mythology? It's great. Again, I had no idea that the one episode of my character could still be so relevant 4 years later. I still receive letters from fans and meet people who have just watched the first season which is really cool. It's also nice to be able to explain my role so easily. When people ask who I played, I just always say, "You know Aaron? Well, I'm his daddy!". Lostpedia: What have you been doing since your appearance on Lost, and what do you have planned for the future? Shortly after my episode of LOST, I played Todd Cleary in WEDDING CRASHERS. From there I did THE BREAK-UP, VINCE VAUGHN'S WILD WEST COMEDY SHOW, PATHOLOGY, AMUSEMENT, some TV episodes and some independent films. I just finished a movie opposite Kevin James, that Adam Sandler produced called PAUL BLART: MALL COP coming out in theatres Jan. 16. '09 and I'm currently shooting multiple episodes of a new FX show called SONS OF ANARCHY. Check out my website for more details.